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I must confess that two things which I have loved are t western films and books of that turbulent period referred to as the ‘wild west’ in American history of the 19th century. This was a period that created legends of its own in the shape of Doc Holiday, Billy the Kid and a host of other characters.

One writer who brought that period alive was Zane Grey. This man has many distinctions. He was the first millionaire writer and his popularity can be gauged from the fact that 34 of his books were published posthumously.

I have read at least 25 of his books, but the book that has made the most profound impression on me is his ‘Riders of the Purple sage’. This novel is written in a racy style and once one starts reading one can’t put it down.

‘Riders of the Purple Sage, ‘is a book that more than any other novel of the Wild West has contributed to making the legend of the Wild West come alive. Just for information the period of the Wild West refers to the period after the American civil war

The book has all the ingredients of a pot boiler with a gunfighter in a black dress, an outlaw boss and a lovely frontier woman torn between love and law. Zane Grey brings these figures alive. This novel of Zane grey is just not a western, but a novel that brings to the fore the deepest emotions of the human heart like love, honor and bravery

The plot runs something like this. There is a young and beautiful girl named Jane Withersteen, who inherits a ranch on the death of her father. The sad part is that the ranch is located in Cottonwoods which is an area dominated by the Mormons.

The Mormons were an offshoot of Christian faith and had some Bizarre customs and rituals that included multiple marriages in the same clan. The story is set in Utah in 1871 when the area was not properly policed.

There is a small rivulet called Amber spring that runs through her property and this is coveted by the Mormon Church. This rivulet supplies all the water to the settlement of the Mormons

The Mormons elders land on the ranch and wish to force Jane to marry another Mormon named Elder Tull. She refuses and the Mormons led by Elder Tull enter her ranch and arrest her foreman. They plan to whip him. A helpless Jane prays to Jesus for deliverance and lo and behold a rider in black appears. He is Lassitor, who is after the Mormons who have abducted his sister.

Zane Grey has created a most masculine and lovable character in Lassitier. A man who is quick on the draw and can fire guns like greased lightning. He is the archetype of the mythical Western gun fighter

The later novelists, who made a name for themselves, based their characters on Lassitor, Zane Grey’s creation. Jane hires Lassitor and she falls in love with him. Zane Grey made his heroines virtuous and lovely and the hero’s masculine, strong and good lovers. Needless to say Lassitor cleans up the murky Mormon dominated settlement and marries Jane

This is one of the finest books of Zane grey. He is still very popular in the States. He is a master story teller who brings the Wild West alive. It is also one of his best sellers and sold millions of copies. The best part is his prose that is simple and direct. He knows how to relate a story.

I have read this book thrice and every time and I have marveled at its grip on the reader. I think it is as a classic of American frontier fiction, colorful and authentic. It caters to the dream of an average man of a beautiful heroine and a strong man. Certainly Zane Grey has carved a niche of his own. Last but not the least Zane Grey has a clientele in India as well.

Have you ever fallen in love with someone much older than you and from the same sex? Well, it happened to Rivi, a 14 year old girl falling in love with Michaela, her literature teacher at school. And, surprising or not, Michaela has fallen in love with Rivi, and their mutual erotic love has continued for years…

This, apparently, is the core of Judith Katzir’s “Dearest Anne” (the Feminist Press, 2008) who has devoted pages on pages to describe, in much detail, the erotic love between the two; their longings for each other; their “sexual games”; their adductive, forbidden love. Written in beautiful, aesthetic language, as you read the book you can’t put it aside; you are attracted to whatever happens between the two, at time wishing you could have been a fly on their wall…

The power of attraction

The reason for the readers’ “attraction” is simple. The sexual descriptions are written elegantly and beautifully, and as much as the two women never “gotten tired” of each other and never had enough, so does the reader never feels he has read enough. Part of it is due to the beautiful, artistic language of Judith Katzir, which makes the book not only a page-turner but an aesthetic experience in its depiction of places, characters, love and sexual attraction.

But the reader’s attraction to the book is due not only to the erotic descriptions, but also for another crucial point: As much as the love story between the 14 year old girl and her 27 year old teacher is “unique” for the two of them, it echoes universal love stories of people throughout history (not necessarily between two people of the same sex and of different age groups) and very possible echoes some of your own experiences with love and eroticism.

Existential, universal daily-life issues

Yet another reason for the attractive power of the book is the broadness of issues it brings before us: the novel circles around existential issues such as: where is the balance – or the border – between love and passion, between giving and abuse?

What motivates people to do what they do and behave in the way they behave? Is there “pure love” or is love actually often based on neediness, on the need to be loved and accepted?

In addition to these – and other – questions, the novel deals, among other, with issues of existential love, sickness and death, girlhood and womanhood, aspirations, disappointments, forgiving and missing opportunities (such as: If I had to live my life all over again, what would I have done differently?).

Our personal life vis-à-vis “Dearest Anne”

By raising such important, universal issues, Katzir’s book prompts us, the readers, in addition to experiencing pure pleasure in reading her book, to delve into our own life, our own fantasies and aspirations, our own love (or lack of), our own life-experiences, sorrows and/or joyful moments. It also drives us – consciously or unconsciously – to bring up questions regarding our self-awareness, as well as our understanding – or lack of – of the way we “do” life; the way we communicate with our loved ones; the way we hurt ourselves and others and last, but not least, the fears and needs which drive us to behave the way we do.

Self-Awareness

This issue of being aware to one self is dealt with elegantly yet hesitantly throughout the book. Is Rivi – as 14 year old girl – aware of what she does? Is she aware of the dangers which might be posed on her way? Is she aware of what motivates her to fall in love, lie to her mother, and become obsessed with her love for Michaela? Is she aware of the (bad) relationships she has with her mother and understands how these might have driven her to fall in love with Michaela?

Once again, these questions motivate us, the readers, to think and contemplate about our own parental qualities – or lack of – if we have children and about the relationships – of lack of – that we have developed with them.

Pleasure in reading as an inspirational board to developing our own awareness

Katzir’s “Dearest Anne” not only gives us pleasure in reading a well-crafted, aesthetically written courageous “love-story” (could we have had the courage to actualize our own love or other desires we might have had?), but in addition it raises in us a whole bunch of existential-philosophical questions regarding life in general. Then, if we wish (and have to courage to delve into) – the book encourages us to deal with questions regarding our own life, encouraging us to view and observe, in retrospect, our own accomplishments and missed opportunities (whether love-related or otherwise).

“Dearest Anne” can become an inspirational board for us to develop our self-awareness regarding our own life, vis-à-vis the universal issues the book presents in front of us.

Driving traffic is challenge #1 for affiliate marketers. Where are your potential subscribers, your buyers, your future success team? One of the challenging parts of affiliate marketing is finding ways to draw your subscribers and buyers into your own funnel.

An affiliate marketer may be the finest business person, focused, driven, enthusiastic, full of energy and still fall flat on his/her face. Everything is in place except the ability to drive traffic to the website.

Even a really unique , interesting website with all the bells and whistles is useless if no one ever stops by to see it. Where are the people? How can we find them? Entice them to join us, to know, like and trust us? That’s the missing link for most affiliate marketers attempting to run their own business.

Everyone dreams of making a lot of money, driving a huge sales volume needed to reach your financial goals. IF only the people would come, your fortunes and dreams would turn into your own reality. It’s just not happening. There are more competitors than ever and new ones are arriving every week, sometimes daily.

Laser-targeted traffic to your website would help everyone bent on sticking it out with an affiliate marketing business regardless of the tremendous challenge.

The first step in driving traffic to your website is finding the right search engine to begin the process. Obviously, Free traffic is always desirable and certainly not to be ignored as part of the effort to grow your business.

Having top search engine rankings is vital in building popularity links, and the use of the right keywords is important in attaining this goal.

The second way in driving traffic to one’s website is by contacting other webmasters for a link exchange partnership. Locating websites that are related to one’s own website is the primary task of the new affiliate marketer.

The third way is through writing your own articles. This is a very effective way to promote a website, good content is always appreciated by readers and will lead them to visit your website out of sheer interest.

The fourth way is through [JV] joint venture marketing. This is one of the most effective ways of promoting a product or a service.

Many additional methods are used by experienced affiliate marketers to reach out to prospective subscribers who one day may become future buyers. It’s hard work but the end results for your business makes it all worth the effort as you build your financial dream and business success.

Most companies have a plan for addressing unexpected issues, but many lack a plan for surviving a climactic event such as an earthquake or pandemic. Although most companies never experience such an event, those that do can go out of business unless they have a business recovery plan in place-a plan that is tailored to their unique needs by a provider of disaster recovery services.

The Reality of Data Loss

Since the beginning of organized commerce, companies have used important information to help them make sales. In the past, this information was held as common knowledge or stored in physical filing systems. Today, it is stored mainly in computers-devices that simplify data storage, but can be more susceptible to destruction than physical files. For example, research shows that most disk drives malfunction when they are dropped from a height of three feet, and tape cartridges do not fair much better.

The solution, of course, is not to revert to storing data in physical filing systems, but to store it offsite on the servers of a disaster recovery service. How important is storing data offsite? Consider the following statistic: After experiencing a major data loss, seventy percent of small companies close their doors within a year. The same thing can happen to large companies when a major event destroys onsite data and a recovery plan is not in place.

Choosing a Provider

The first step in choosing a provider of disaster recovery services is to realize that a business recovery plan consists of more than offsite data storage. Many companies offer cloud-based storage, but few companies combine cloud-based storage with a full range of recovery options. With this in mind, companies should concentrate on evaluating providers that offer the following options as a part of the recovery plan:

Hardware on demand– When an event destroys a company’s hardware, having data stored offsite is just one part of the solution. The company also needs hardware on which to recover the data, and use until a permanent solution is reached.

Recovery testing– Given the serious nature of data loss, a company must test the recovery plan before it goes into effect. The test should be conducted using the hardware the company would use if the plan were carried out.

Center-based solutions– Some companies require conditioned floor space to test and/or carry out the recovery plan. The provider should accommodate this requirement.

Basic and advanced options– Because different companies have different needs, the provider should offer basic and advanced options that meet the needs of every customer.

These options provide companies with a complete recovery plan, one that is testable, supportable with hardware on demand, and anticipates the needs of the recovery environment.

Conclusion

A business recovery plan from a provider of disaster recovery services helps companies remain solvent in the wake of events such as earthquakes or pandemics. If your company is not protected against such events, identifying service providers based on the information above is a good place to start.

Every World of Warcraft player has one urge that seem to be unquenchable and that is how to make more gold. The game itself provides umpteen opportunities for players and one of the best ways I know of to make more gold is through what is termed wow gold farming. So this article is designed to help those looking to make more gold in wow and provide a few tips to help make you rich.

First get to know the Azerothian holidays.

Inside the game there are periodic holiday and events and many of these are great gold making opportunities. Take for example small eggs. During the rest of the year you can buy these things for next to nothing, I’m talking a few silver a piece. But when winter veil comes around the demand for small eggs goes though the roof. Just this winter alone I was selling small eggs at upwards of 3g a piece, now that’s profit. What can be learned from this, learn to buy low and sell high. In this case you have to willing to sit and hold and wait, but in the end your patience is rewarded.

Learn to work the auction house properly.

This would be an article all on its own and I have written more about this topic but let me cover this briefly. Here are a few common mistakes I see players make everyday. For example what benefit is there to throwing up in the auction house 20 of any given item? I’ll tell you none. All you are really doing is risking the fact that not all will sell, which costs you gold in auction house listing fees and you risk getting underbid. The key to wow gold farming on the auction house is, know the market, and then play the market.

Let me share with you a real in game example. I was buying these horn of winter glyphs one day as I had noticed that the trend with these on my server was a low end selling price of 16 gold and a high end selling price of 32 gold. Well sure enough some player throws up 20 of these glyphs up all prices under 20 gold. Guess what I did? You bet, I bought every single one of them not knowing that this player was actually online. Within 2 minutes of buying these up I get an in-game pm from this guy thinking he was cocky, saying thanks. I just returned the comment, no thank you.

You see what this player didn’t understand was, I was now in a position to take advantage of the fact that he broke both rules when it came to the auction house. He listed too many of one item and for too low a buying price. I already knew I could sell these glyphs for 32 gold a piece, so all I did was re-list them at my price, and drove him right out of the market. I could do that because of the huge profit margin. Plus now I’m in a position to dictate when to sell. If I check and I see too many listed for close to what I bought them for, I don’t bother selling. Instead I just sit and wait for the market to return to the price where I want to sell at.

What is a niche market anyhow? A niche market is a specialized market that has a limited and clearly defined range of products sold to a specific group of people. So when you are starting your own website or online business you want to have a specific niche to base your website around but you can’t seem to come up with anything? Well not to worry! I will show you a couple methods I have used and recommend for people just like you.

I must tell you when deciding what you are going to sell or what your website will be about, make sure it is something that you are passionate about. This is very important to the success of your website and to keep you motivated! Its much easier and fun spending time working on something that you can really wrap your arms around and get into versus going through the motions. While there are a number of different ways to make money online such as selling your own products, affiliate marketing and so on. I always suggest trying to come up with at least a couple products of your own but you can decide that later.

Here are a couple of easy methods to help you figure out what you’re niche market could be and how to narrow it down. Go to Google Keyword Search or AdWords. Now think about something or a topic that interests you, lets say for example “Gardening” type it in the space that says word or phrase.

Now also check the small box under that says “only show ideas closely related to my search terms” and do a search on it. This will give you a list of related topics or phrases generated for that one keyword. This search will then break down the related phrases and tell you how many times each one was searched per year and per month.

It will also tell you the level of competition for that word or phrase. Let’s say one of the phrases was “tips to a healthier garden” and the competition was listed as high. This means you are going to be competing potentially against several other websites on that particular phrase. Now let’s say another phrase was “how to grow a healthier garden” and the competition is listed as low or medium. This is narrowing down your niche and gives you a better chance at targeting a certain group of people and potentially lowering the competition.

Another thing I would suggest is go and do a couple searches on Google and a couple other search engines like Bing and Yahoo. Use the same method as far as using a keyword or phrase and search for websites that would be similar to what niche you are interested in. Take notice to the title of their website and the description. This is another useful method to see what some of the competition may be in that particular niche. One thing is for sure these days, if you can imagine it, it’s available on the internet! The main thing is to find something you are passionate about and are willing to put some work into, then take the time to position yourself as well as possible before just diving in. It will payoff in the long run.

Now you should have some good ideas on what niche market you may want to plan your website around. If not keep trying and playing around with the methods that I showed you. Take your time and don’t rush into things. Plan out your site and write things down. Once you put things on paper you have your own guide that will help you make the next steps. Follow your ideas and take it step by step.

With satellite television, you are offered far more channels than what you could get with cable. Although we have seen a number of exciting changes specific to television, satellite is considered one of the most powerful. After all, having the ability to choose the exact channels that interest you is a huge benefit to choosing satellite. With cable, you would be limited by the package deal you buy but with satellite, you can look through as many channels as you like. Because of this, we see a growing number of people trading out cable for satellite.

Keep in mind that programming for satellite television is actually a simple concept. The bottom line is that you get more channels within the same genre or different genre as you want. For instance, the two primary satellite television companies are now offering customers a broader range of channels so if you were a movie buff, you could choose all of the movie channels but if not, these channels could be eliminated or bypassed.

With so many different satellite channels, you have a much greater variety. With multi channel programming, watching the stations that you want makes television easier. Another huge benefit to going with satellite television is that you never have to worry about when a special show will be broadcast. In other words, you now have advanced show time listings so you never miss another important show.

Of course, one of the greatest features of satellite television is taking back control over what your children watch. If you have concerns about your children seeing television with too much sex, violence, bad language, and so on, then you have the power to lock out those channels or specific shows. While not important for everyone, homes with smaller children find this to be a huge advantage over other types of viewing.

Keep in mind that many televisions today offer some type of security but without doubt, satellite programming is by far the best. In addition to security for your family, satellite programming, especially for High Definition TV or HDTV is the best. Remember, with HDTV satellite programming, you usually see variation from one station to another. In some cases, the larger channels that transmit HD come with four of the largest broadcast networks to include Discovery, ESPN, HBO, and TNT.

Well it’s all going to depend on the size and the design of the wood window, but you can plan on spending quite a bit of time, painting these intricate architectural items.

Let me give you an idea, I had to paint 7 wood windows, one time and these didn’t have any architectural details to them, they were simply plain old wood windows. The type of windows that were installed through out the 1950s and would need to be replaced or repaired, in the near future.

You’re going to find this hard to believe, but I used to paint the outside of the house, a small house, for $300, and a homeowner would supply me with the paint. I had to buy the rest of the materials, but I could paint the exterior of these small homes, in about a day and a half.

Except for the wood windows, this was a totally different story and I wouldn’t paint the wood windows each time I painted the house. I would often touch the windows up, but the amount of time that it would usually take me to paint these windows, was unbelievable.

Keep something in mind here, I could paint the entire house in about 12 hours, but it would take me about the same amount of time, just to paint the exterior of these windows and more than half of them wouldn’t open, because they were previously painted shut.

If the wood window has any sort of architectural detail, or any grids or divided lites, you could plan on spending quite a bit of time, painting each window. If you’ve never painted a wood window before, plan on spending at the least four to six hours, for window smaller than 3′ x 3′ and plan on spending at least eight to 12 hours, or more, for larger wood windows.

If you’re a contractor, who’s going to be bidding a job, you might want to contact a professional painter or at least get someone else’s opinion, before signing the contract.

If you’re a homeowner, and you hire a professional painter and they gives you a ridiculous bit, now you know why.

It has kind of become like a norm that most men either hate to get into commitments or take a long time in doing so. So, it does come as a surprise to women when their man is overly eager to get committed. Below might be some reasons for that.

Reasons from the pastMaybe he has been in a relationship where he loved his woman and was absolutely committed to her and spent plenty of time and effort only to be dumped by her. So maybe his past insecurities are making him rush if he feels that you are the right one for him.

He is head over heels in love with youEveryone has heard of the love at first sight syndrome. It is possible that something like this has happened to him regarding you. He has eyes only for you and you have become his centre of universe. So, obviously he sees no reason for any delay of any sort.

He may have territorial instinctsNow every woman has their set of admirers. If he is in some way interested in you, then his natural instincts would tell him to put a fence around you in an effort to keep the other guys at bay while he take his time to sort out his own feelings about you. In his mind he just wants the security that you do not fall for someone else in case he wants you for himself.

He is completely sure of his feelingsIt is human nature for the mind and heart to be in conflict most times. But it can be that he in his whole being is very sure that you are the one and only for him. He will then find no reason for waiting.

His mind has made him insecure about youNow he might very much be in love with you and if at all he has seen something in your behaviour or mannerisms that tell him that you might be losing interest in him, he will just push the panic button and offer his commitment sooner than you think due to fear of losing you.

Maybe he has been there forever on the sceneIt might be possible that he has gone around and dated a lot of women in the past only to have been disappointed by every one of them in some way or the other. And so if he likes you, he feels the need to be quick for commitment before his mind undergoes a change too.

That need to feel settledBachelor days are not going to be around forever. Every man at some point of time in life wants to settle down. And if he feels that you are that special one for him, surely he is not going to hang around for long.

A headset is very important to be used in workplaces and homes. They do have many benefits. Those people who use headsets during work do not get tired soon or have back pain. If you will use a headset as a part of your daily routine work, then it would surely improve your body posture.

Headsets are used all over the world in diverse organizations for better communication. They allow the workers to hear the voice of another person on call and answer him appropriately. They can also improve efficiency and productivity. Your hands will be free when you are on call with a headset.

Efficiency & Freedom

Headsets free both hands of a person, and he can do other tasks during a call. It not only improves the effectiveness of a person but also make him feel free. Wireless headsets are of great use as they allow additional freedom to the workers.

They can easily leave their desks and move in the office corridors during phone calls. The range of headsets is up to 300 ft from your telephone. With the help of a handset lifter, you can end up and answer calls easily when you are far away from your desk. It allows you to be extremely free while you are talking, moving or doing work.

By wearing a headset, your microphone will stay in the same position. This means that you can move freely without worrying about your microphone. There is no need to set your microphone again and again. In this way, your voice will be consistent all the time.

If you are using a headset which comprises a noise cancellation technology then the microphone will clear out 80 percent background sounds. Thus, your callers could only hear your voice and would not get distracted at all. They are perfect to be used in noisy workplace environments.

Stay Active All the Time

When you are holding a phone, then you do not have a proper posture at that time. Due to this reason, many workers have complained about neck and back pain. Many employees could not stay active all day as they get tired from holding phones.

Many doctors around the globe suggest people use headsets instead of holding phones. According to studies, it has noted that 98 percent people stay active all day because they use headsets during work. If you want to stay active all the time, then use headsets.

5 High Quality office headsets Below $200

There are many branded headsets available in the market. You have to choose high-quality headsets if you want to work efficiently and productively in a workplace. If you have a budget lower than 200 dollars, then do not worry at all. We are going to mention five high-quality office headsets that are below 200 dollars.

1.VersaMate Convertible Headset Universal Office Phone Bundle

If you are searching for high-quality sound headset, then select this one. It is efficient to fulfill your all your needs and wants. This headset is easily convertible. You can adjust it easily according to your comfort level. If you have to attend too many calls at your workplace, then this headset is ideal for you. It is light in weight so you can wear it all the time without getting tired.

Specifications:

Unbeatable warranty of 2 years’ replacement

Omni-directional microphone

Self adjusting

Active Guard special feature

The Cord length is forty inch

Foam earpiece

It has 1.5 OZ weight

Leatherette earpiece

Disconnectivity is easy

2. Plantronics CS540

Nowadays, Bluetooth devices are getting famous amongst individuals. This technology is getting quite trendy. They are helping the workers to attend and reject their calls while doing different tasks. It is an easily convertible headset. If you want your hands to be free all the time, then you have to use this headset.

Specifications:

DECT 6.0 Technology

1.9 GHz Cordless Headset

Elegant Magnetic Headset Docking

Wireless Noise-Cancellation Microphone

DECT Security Certified

Enhanced Digital Signal Processing

CAT-IQ Technology

Range is up to 350 Feet

3. Plantronics CS510

It is the improved version of the CS series headsets. It has replaced the old Plantronics CS351N. You can do multitasking with the help of this headset. It has a DECT 6.0 Technology. It is very durable and versatile headset. With only one touch you can connect or disconnect a call.

Specifications:

1.9 GHz Cordless Headset

Hands-Free up to 100 Meters

One-Touch Call Answer / End

DECT 6.0 Technology

DECT Security Certified

One-Touch Controls

Energy Competent Adaptive Power System

4.Jabra GN9125 Flex Duo Wireless Headset

It is a wireless headset which offers top sound quality. It is perfect to be used in a workplace environment. You can perform many other tasks while attending your call. If you want to get engaged in a conversation, then make use of this headset. Workers can move from their desk while attending a call. It simply works with your current workplace phone or PC.

Specifications:

Ultra Noise canceling headset

Convertible wearing style

Self adjusting

Range is 100 meters

Great Sound Quality

5.Jabra Evolve 65 Stereo Microsoft Optimized

This headset is very functional. The ear cups are connected to the headband in the form of an arch. Each ear cup has a signal wire. It is linked up with the sound player by the headset jack. It is very easy to wear. It provides mobility to the employees. It is an efficient office headset.